[Ads-l] "sugar dating", "compensated dating", "arrangement"

[Laurence Horn]

"Compensating" being the key word. The urban dictionary (s.v. "sugar
dating") lemma from 2009 isn't wrong, although as usual in desperate need
of an editor:

==========
A discrete place where men "Sugar Daddies
<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sugar%20Daddies>" and
Ladies "Sugar Babies" go to meet for mutually beneficial
<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mutually%20beneficial>
relationships. The website allows a discrete and safe way for people to
exchange their contact details for a small price. This could include an
exchange of money, services to include the occasional fancy dinner
<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fancy%20dinner>, or
quickie.
=========

What was new to me is a use I've noticed of "sugar" as a verb, as in "I've
sugared".  It's tricky, because most hits for this verb refer to a process
of hair removal, apparently a less painful counterpart of waxing (cf. e.g.
https://www.sugarsugarwax.com/ on sugaring at home).  But the relevant
meaning in the context was not "I've removed unwanted hair from my own or
others' sensitive areas" but rather "I've engaged in compensated sexual
relationships", i.e. pay for play as in Nancy's 2014 blogpost. I imagine
between these two 21st century innovations those who work in the maple or
cane sugar industries need to be more specific in their job descriptions
anymore.

LH

On Mon, Feb 14, 2022 at 11:00 AM Nancy Friedman <wordworking at gmail.com>
wrote:

> It may be parallel to “marry up”—marry someone in a higher economic class.
>
> On Mon, Feb 14, 2022, 7:27 AM Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I wonder if "date up" is a euphemism for "hook up".
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 14, 2022, 9:38 AM Nancy Friedman <wordworking at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > "Sugar dating" has been around for a while; I devoted a blog post to it
> > > (and to the Seeking company) in 2014:
> > >
> > >
> >
> https://nancyfriedman.typepad.com/away_with_words/2014/11/word-of-the-week-sugar-dating.html
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mon, Feb 14, 2022, 5:02 AM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > There was a (in my mind a weird-a$$) full-page ad in the Boston Globe
> > on
> > > > Sunday, on p. A4 that includes instances of "sugar dating,"
> > "compensated
> > > > dating," and "arrangement". Granted, a couple of the instances have
> the
> > > > terms in quote marks. The purported author is Brandon Wade, CEO of
> > > > seeking.com
> > > >
> > > > Excerpts below.
> > > >
> > > > ---------
> > > >
> > > > My lack drove me to launch Seeking Arrangement in 2006 and to build
> it
> > > > into the world's largest sugar dating website.
> > > >
> > > > ----------
> > > >
> > > > Mirroring my evolution, Seeking.com has shed its "arrangement" past.
> > > > What started as a sugar dating site is so much more today. While
> > > > compensated dating has always been banned, the phrase "sugar dating"
> > has
> > > > been increasingly misused, as such, Seeking.com is relaunching on
> > > > February 14th at the largest platform for success-minded individuals
> > who
> > > > want to Just Date Up.
> > > >
> > > > ---------
> > > >
> > > > End excerpts.
> > > >
> > > > So, I find it interesting that we've got another use/extension of
> > > > "sugar" as a euphemism for sex, and related to "sugar daddy", yes?
> And
> > > > then that use of "up" as in social rung/class, as in "marry up".
> > > >
> > > > Honestly, I don't want to know just what "sugar dating" is. I think I
> > > > can figure out what "compensated dating" is (just prostitution by
> > > > another name?).  And if everyone there is wanting to "date up", uh,
> > > > there's not going to be a lot of motion, because someone's going to
> > have
> > > > to date down. This excerpt also includes a nice instance of that much
> > > > broader use/sense of "evolution" (But that's not semantically
> > relevant).
> > > > (Neither are the bits in the ad where he claims he's "legally waiving
> > > > [his] right to a divorce," which, frankly, I don't think can be done,
> > > > just as all those waivers and releases we skiers sign don't really
> > > > release ski places from gross negligence.)
> > > >
> > > > ---Amy West
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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